Laughing, I shake my head as I rise from the bar to step back into the kitchen.

"You're a mess," I say, stopping at the fridge to pull out the bottle of wine before setting it off by my seat so I can retrieve glasses. He's almost finished prepping the fish, and a glass of wine is too inviting to ignore.

"I did make a spy bug once, actually," I say as I cut a length of butcher's twine to wrap around the fish, holding the herbs and citrus to it neatly. "My skills weren't very good back then, though. I only had enough room in the bug for about half an hour of audio before the spool was full. I got half an hour of Richard bitching about his dry cleaner to Lavellan and three very annoyed hookers."

"It's a good listen," I laugh with a nod. "If only for Lavellan's exasperation with Richard's vanity... and the hookers. God, if I had three hookers waiting on me, I wouldn't care about my stupid suit.

"Not that I would hire three hookers," I say quickly, my eyes widening as I tilt my head toward Ljuba.

"Wait, usually or... You've been off the city before, haven't you?" I ask, almost positive I could recall a story where he had been, sliding across the bar to stretch a leg down so my ankle can bump against his leg playfully.

"Yeah, I have a few times, but it's usually for business," I respond as I put a hand on her calf, more to get a feel for how she's positioned than anything. "I rarely ever just go for the sake of going."

"Oh, you know, here and there," I shrug as my touch lingers over soft skin, my fingers toying with the buttons on her boots and wandering up her calf to feel the thin fabric of her skirt. "I went back and forth between a few towns in the Orlais region, but I spent most of my time in Minrathous. It was an interesting experience, given that it's the capital of magic and I'm not exactly versed with such a skill set."

"It's absolutely beautiful out there," I smile, scooting a bit closer to the edge of the bar so my other leg can dangle off alongside the first. I can't help but relish in the smell attentions he's showing me as I twirl my wine in my glass.

"Lush mountains and forests as far as one can see, and during the winter it's just this ocean of white snow and the skeletons of trees."

"Yes," I smile as she scoots closer, her subtle approval coaxing me to let my touch linger on her skin as I trace small circles on her calf with my thumb. "I did like the wilderness outside the city. It felt so vast compared to anything you find here in Skycrest. It was scary, in a way... I worried I would get lost, the sounds echoed for miles and miles before they really touched anything. The city was much easier to navigate, even if I did have to keep my head down most of the time."

"We should go hiking sometime," I nod, setting my wine down behind me before I grab his to set off to the side so I can slide into the spot in front of him. I'm careful to keep my skirt in its place as I let my legs fall to either side of his front, scooting forward so I can tentatively reach out to let my fingers drag across the fading bruises on his temple.

"We can bring some food and wine, maybe even a bit of drop makings once that's all sorted out. It'd be fun," I smile, my nails trailing towards his hairline as I look him over. He's healing, but he still looks rough. "But we'd have to do it in the late spring or summer, I don't have the balance to go hiking through snow and ice," I add with a laugh.

"No?" I laugh as I let my hands come to rest on her knees, my thumbs working the tension out of her muscles as I work my way up the outside of her thighs."No, maybe not," I concede with a sigh. "I can't imagine a picnic is any fun when you're freezing your face off in the cold. And I'm not very fond of the snow, either. Makes everything too quiet."

My eyes close contently as her fingers drag across my bruised skin, a pleased sigh breathing out of me. "Maybe we can go to Antiva or something. I hear it's always nice there. No snow, not too hot, not too cold. If you can stomach the prim and proper folk that long, anyway."

I can't help but smile at the way his eyes close under my touch, the gentle cock of his head endearing as I gently work my fingers through his hair.

"I wouldn't be paying them any mind at all," I laugh softly, my hand falling from his hair as I twist to grab my wine, grabbing his as well before turning back to bump it's stem gently against his hand. His touch was getting dangerously close to being distracting, but I'm too starved to risk forgetting the fish in the oven.